


Bad Moon Rising

by Scarlett_Lamour



Series: Howling for You [7]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alpha Arthur, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Beta John, F/M, Gore, I also don’t plan, I don’t sleep and I don’t edit, M/M, Multi, Updating tags as I go, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 22:33:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20199253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlett_Lamour/pseuds/Scarlett_Lamour
Summary: Adeline discovers a change is coming and isn't entirely sure how Arthur and John will react.Okay, look I've about given up writing summaries. I'm sorry. If you like the series you'll probably like this one too, promise.





	1. Chapter 1

A foot nudged Adeline’s leg, waking her. It was evening now, it had been mid afternoon when she’d fallen asleep, curled up on the pile of mending that had awaited her return from her short _vacation_ as Miss Grimshaw put it. The old woman glared down her nose at Adeline, but didn’t yell like she was usually want to do. That was strange in itself, except the lethargy that had a stranglehold on Adeline was mildly concerning. It seemed sometimes she just couldn’t keep her eyes open, no matter what she did. This time she hadn’t even managed to stagger back to her tent to fall asleep.

“You getting sick?” Miss Grimshaw had asked, a tinge of actual concern in her voice. Adeline rubbed at her eyes, trying to shake the sluggishness of sleep out of her head. 

“I don’t think so.” Her back cracked spectacularly as she stood up. “Maybe, I don’t know.” A sharp hand grabbed her shirt collar and Miss Grimshaw leaned in close, scenting her. 

“Oh,” The old woman let her go, her eyes snapping up to Adeline’s face.

“What?” She asked, stifling a yawn. Miss Grimshaw’s entire body seemed to shift to a softer mood. 

“You don’t know?” That certainly wasn’t the response she’d expected. She seemed surprised and Adeline didn’t have a response. 

“Know what?” It wasn’t like she could scent herself. “Am I real sick or something?”

“Or something.” Miss Grimshaw scowled, looking around before grabbing Adeline’s arm in a death grip and dragging her to the edge of camp. They had found a lovely spot in West Elizabeth. It wasn’t Adeline’s favorite state, but they were far away from Blackwater and no Hunters for miles as far as any of their scouting could tell. Arthur had assured her it was safe and she had to agree the weather was a shade nice that’s New Austin’s oppressive heat. Their camp was just at the edge of the tree line, and Miss Grimshaw dragged her right past it. 

“What? Grimshaw,” She winced as the other woman’s nails dug into the soft flesh of her upper arm. “What the hell?” Once they had some privacy, the old Omega let her go. Turning on her heels, she studied Adeline, her hand snaking to her jaw and tilting her head side to side before scenting her again. 

“You really don’t know yet.” She seemed disappointed in Adeline. Frustrated, she slapped the hand at her jaw away, growling at Miss Grimshaw.

“What!?” She nearly shrieked. Miss Grimshaw opened her mouth but footsteps crunching through the underbrush and leaves made her snap it close and glare over her shoulder. When Sadie stepped out from behind a tree, rifle held lazily in one hand, the old woman relaxed. 

“What are you two shouting about?” Sadie asked, looking on with confusion. Grimshaw jerked her head at Adeline as if that explained everything. Sadie’s eyes cut to her and Adeline felt like she was out of some important loop that the other two Omega’s were alone privy too.

“Oh,” Sadie knew exactly was Grimshaw was going on about. “Yeah. I figured I’d let her figure it out.” 

“Well, that helps no one.” Grimshaw snapped, her eyes shading to silver in a snap. “Adeline,” her ire turned on Adeline and the girl shrank back a little. What was Grimshaw so upset about? And why was she upset at her about it? Adeline hadn’t done anything. A tongue of anger licked at her insides and she snarled back at the harsh tone. Miss Grimshaw took a breath and visibly calmed herself down, the silver bleeding out of her eyes. 

“Adeline,” She started over again, this time taking a softer tone. “You’ve lost weight.” Her eyes trailed down Adeline’s form. That was an odd start, maybe a few pounds but she didn’t it was noticeable. Pearsons cooking was nothing to entice a person to eat. She found eating as a wolf more palatable but she hadn’t had the motivation to go hunting lately, tired to her bones more often than not. “You been throwing up too.”

“I got a stomach bug?” Obviously? “Just come out and say it, Grimshaw. Jesus Christ.” Adeline scowled. What was the damn runaround about? It wasn’t like Miss Grimshaw to not cut to the quick as fast as possible. 

“Damn, you are dull,” Miss Grimshaw looked like she wanted to slap her. “You’re pregnant, you idiot. We can both smell it on you.” She motioned to herself and Sadie. Adeline blanched. Of course it was an option, but she thought she’d feel...more? She didn’t feel pregnant. Just tired. 

“What?” There was a rushing in her ear and both other Omega’s reached for her as she tripped back. 

“Woah!” Sadie called at her, as they each took an arm and guided her to a nearby tree stump. Adeline curled up double and held her head close to her knees, taking slow breaths. The world went spotty for a second as she tried to slow her racing heartbeat. 

“What do you mean you can smell it on me?” She asked from between her knees. Her voice was thin, scared. She didn’t like how it sounded. A hand, probably Sadie, was rubbing small circles on her back. 

“It’s faint but it’s there. Maybe Omegas are a little more sensitive to it, but there’s no denying it. You just had your heat, you’re pregnant.” Sadie explained, crouching next to her. “Did you really not suspect?” Adeline shook her head, sitting up straight. After a couple deep breaths her vision cleared and she glanced back through the trees, at the camp. 

“I just thought I was getting sick. I didn’t,” It was a scary though suddenly. “I didn’t realize.” Her heart was fluttering in her throat. “Fuck.” 

“Didn’t Arthur and John tell you it could happen? At least Abigail should have mentioned it.” Miss Grimshaw looked like she was gearing up to get mad at someone. Adeline glanced at her, that woman made an art out of dressing a person down. 

“No, they did. I just thought it didn’t take. I, really?” Her brain couldn’t quite grip the thought. Grimshaw laughed, a hard shoulder shaking laugh.

“God, you and them are a set. Yes, idiot.” Her face softened when she looked back at Adeline. If she looked how she felt, she probably looked like she was about to start crying. “Dearie, it’s okay. It’s a good thing, ain’t it?” Yes, it was a resounding yes in her head but the thought of suddenly having to take care of two little lives that depending on her for everything was terrifying. 

“Hey,” Sadie was still rubbing her back. “It’s alright, honey.” Adeline looked at her, sniffing before she realized she had started crying. They were being so kind to her when they didn’t have to. The thought was enough to make tears burst from her like a busted dam. 

“What I say?” Sadie asked, pausing.

“You’re just being so damn nice!” Adeline wiped at her cheeks, feeling them flush in embarrassment at her ridiculous behavior. Grimshaw laughed again, pulling a delicate handkerchief from a pocket in her skirts. 

“Alright, alright, enough of that nonsense.” She wiped at Adeline’s face like she was wayward child. “Take a minute to compose yourself. You’ll have John or Arthur thundering over here in a second if you can’t relax a bit. Deep breaths.” She coached her. Adeline breathed in and tried to calm down. Afte a moment it seemed to have worked. “There, see. You’re okay.” She brushed a strained of hair from Adeline’s face. “Now, you’ve got to try and eat, alright? And try to make it back to your tent if you’re tired.”

“How long before other will notice?” She asked, thinking about how to tell Arthur and John. Sadie cocked a hip, leaning back from her and Miss Grimshaw. 

“Couple of weeks before the Alphas suspect anything, and then I’d guess none of them will know exactly _what_ is different. Alpha’s can be dense as hell. Then another couple of weeks before the Betas. So you’ve probably got a good month before you have to actually tell anyone. But you should tell your mates.” She cautioned. Of course she should, but a part of her was scared. They hadn’t spoken since her Heat about having pups. It was a foolish notion, she knew. Arthur would probably actually pass out when she told them. 

“I will.” She moved to stand up and both other women reached out to help her. “I’m fine. I’m not helpless, not yet anyways.” Waving off their hands, she wiped off her skirts of the few clinging bits of leaves and sticks. Miss Grimshaw handed her the handkerchief.

“You’re going to need it. I think you’re going to be a crier.” Miss Grimshaw teased her. 

“Shut up.” Adeline said softly, still sniffing. “At least I’m not getting sick.” She joked, making the other two laugh. 

“You may disagree with that though the further into this you get.” Sadie warned her. “I got to get back to guard duty. Miss Grimshaw?”

“Yeah, yeah I got her, dearie. Back to work.” The old woman waved off Sadie and pushed Adeline back towards camp. Once the initial fear faded away, the energetic happiness bubbling up in her chest made her smile. “Oh, don’t look so pleased with yourself.” Miss Grimshaw scolded her. “You’ll tip everyone off.” 

“I gotta tell Arthur and John first, at least.” She said as they stepped back into camp. 

“Of course. Can I get you something to eat?” Grimshaw paused, crossing her arms and making it very clear with her glare that Adeline was going to eat something or she’d regret it. 

“How about some bread?” That seemed like it could actually sit in her stomach better than Pearson’s hellish stew. Miss Grimshaw gave her a sharp nod and sailed off with purpose. Adeline took a deep breath to steady herself before heading in the opposite direction to find either of her mates. 

John wasn’t even in camp, she knew he’d gone off scouting or hunting or something. He’d been a little vague when he’d left, but she couldn’t begrudge him needing a little time out on his own. Arthur was chopping wood for the campfire. A heavy _thunk_ echoed against the nearby trees each time he swung the axe. She took a moment to watch him before he noticed her staring. There was a tingling sense of attraction the came from watching him work and she was glad of the view. When he finished and realized she was just standing there, staring at him hungrily, he smiled at her. 

“Maybe I should start charging for the show,” He joked as he wiped at the back of neck. 

“I should get a discount for putting up with you.” She said, stepping close and leaning in. “Can we talk in private?” Her voice was low as she whispered. He instantly looked worried, his face full of concern. 

“Something wrong, Lamb?” He asked, reaching out to hold her arm. 

“No, just, want to talk in private.” Adeline worried her bottom lip between her teeth, looking over and seeing Uncle drinking nearby. There was little chance for actual privacy in camp. Arthur glanced around, apparently coming to the same decision.

“Alright, how about we go meet up with John? He suggested we come out to this cabin he found.” She nodded as he spoke, that seemed like the best option. She could tell them at the same time. A grin snuck onto her face as she imagined both of them being happy to hear the news. It’d be nice to see it at the same time, easier too. 

“I could use a little breathing room, anyways.” She agreed. Arthur smiled, slipping an arm across the small of her back as they turned to walk towards the horses. When they got closer to the string of horses, Charles walked up obviously trying to catch them. 

“Hey, you heading out?” He called out, walking double time to meet them. 

“Yeah, we were going to go meet up with John.” Arthur explained. Adeline was glad he decided to take the lead, she certainly didn’t feel up to coming up with an excuse and Charles would question Arthur less than he would her. 

“Can you pick up some gun oil for me while you’re out.” He asked. Arthur nodded, pushing Adeline to go ahead of him to the horses. 

“Yeah, sure.” He said. As she passed Charles, she caught his expression change and his eyes cut to her. A shade of understanding washed over his face. He knew, he smelled it on her. How the hell did _he_ know? This was going to get annoying real fast, she realized. But if Charles did know, he kept his damn mouth shut like he should. Up on Ace, she grimaced a bit but shrugged off the ache before Arthur asked anything. They trotted out of camp, following the pull of John. 

They stopped at Manzanita Post to pick up gun oil for Charles and Adeline was thankful for the break. If it was this uncomfortable riding now, she hated to imagine how it’d feel once she was a big as a cow. A scowl settled on her face at the thought and Arthur looked over at her, confused before nudging her.

“Anything wrong?” He asked, concerned. She shook her head, trying to shake off the mood that was settling on her shoulders. Inside the trading post, the shopkeeper was slow to respond to their request. He was busy talking to his wife, arguing about something minimal. 

“Hey, could you just shut up and sell us the damn gun oil?” Adeline snarled, slamming her hand down on the counter. Everyone jumped at her sudden outburst, Arthur trying to rest a hand on her shoulder and calm her down. The shopkeep shrank back from her, quickly handing her a box. She slammed a few coins down on the counter and stormed out of the trading post, muttering under her breath. 

“Lamb, are you sure you’re okay?” Arthur pushed as he mounted up beside her. God, if he asked her that one more time she was going to deck him. They rode out through the tall trees, following trails that would lead them to John.

“He was being an ass!” She growled at him. Arthur leaned away, confusion on his face and she thought maybe she was being to harsh. But then he opened his mouth to speak.

“He wasn’t being anything of the sort, what’s got you upset?” 

“Maybe I just don’t like people who go about ignoring me when I’m trying to buy things from them.” She snapped, still ready for a fight. Arthur seemed to think better of arguing with her and closed his mouth. So he did have some amount of a brain in there. Ace shook his head, complaining about the argument. 

“Hey,” A call caught their attention and Adeline groaned in annoyance. What now? Arthur eyed her but looked over to the man waving at him. 

“What’s the matter, mister?” He asked. The man was standing on the side of the road beside a busted wagon. A couple more men milled about, arguing about the broken wheel they were trying to fix. Adeline had half a mind to keep riding and ignore all of them, but Arthur had already stopped. 

“We were wondering if you could give one of us a ride back to the trading post so we could get a new wheel.” The man asked. Arthur looked at them and Adeline could see he was already agreeing. 

“Why don’t we just buy the damn wheel for them too?” She muttered. Arthur’s head snapped around to glare at her. 

“What’s gotten into you?” He asked, an edge of anger to his voice. 

“I want to get to John. We’re going to have to camp overnight if we ride them all the way back to Manzanita and back again hauling a wagon wheel with us.” She shifted in her saddle, they were so close and he just had to stop. The man standing there, watching them argue scowled.

“Well don’t do us no favors!” He snapped at her. Arthur groaned, knowing that was going to set her off. 

“I’d rather if we didn’t you, damn fool. What were you doing to break a wagon wheel that bad anyways?” She turned the fire of her anger towards him and the stranger scowled back 

“You’re a piece of work, lady. We were just asking for a bit of help.” The men who were standing a bit back had taken notice of the argument brewing. 

“Yep, asking for a hand out and all. One of you could have walked it by now, how long you been waiting for a sucker to come by?” Her hand was itching to hit him. Maybe she could get her knife out fast enough to stab him. It’d be hard from up on her horse but she was pretty sure she could manage through sheer will of anger alone. 

“Lamb,” Arthur moved Buckshot closer, reaching to try and calm her down. “You’re being a bit unreasonable.” His voice was quiet, low, trying to reason her. 

“Yeah, maybe you should listen to your husband, you shrew.” The man said. Adeline’s eyes flashed silver and Arthur gave a heavy sigh, not moving fast enough to stop her from pulling his revolver from his hip beside her. She wasn’t a good shot, missing the man and burying the bullet in the wagon beside him, but it was enough to set everyone off. 

“God damnit!” Arthur shouted, spurring Buckshot away from the firing. Ace followed behind the stallion, screaming in anger. Adeline snarled as a bullet grazed her thigh. They raced into the tall trees, dismounting and finding cover behind the thick trunks as the men gave chase. 

“Well why’d you have to pick a fight with them anyways?” Arthur whined at her as they ducked behind the tress. Adeline was ready to just shoot him and be done with it all. She leveled Arthur’s gun around a trunk and fired off until she had to reload.

”Because they pissed me off!” She growled at him, pointedly glaring at him. Arthur pumped his shot gun and fired off a few rounds.

“You’ve been getting pissed off a lot lately.” He shook his head as he reloaded the shells. “Can’t say anything without you biting my head off. You yelled at that poor shopkeep.” Shrugging out of his bandolier, he handed it to her so she could reload the revolver. 

“I got shit on my mind.” A bullet spent splinters flying past her head and she ducked away. Arthur reached over and covered her face with his arm in an attempt to shield her from the debris. He twisted around to fire off his shot gun again.

“What the fuck is on your mind then?” He yelled over the sound of guns. The men were approaching fast but between her and Arthur, they weren’t going to get too close. The tree they were hiding behind was quickly becoming useless as cover. With only an exchange of glances the two stood up together from behind the tree. Arthur’s shot gun spread gave them enough cover to run for the cover of nearby boulders. 

“What in hell could have you so fucking testy?” He was half out of breath as he ran backwards beside her. His questions needled her. It was all Adeline could do to keep from shooting Arthur then and there. 

“GOD DAMNIT ARTHUR I’M FUCKING PREGNANT!” Adeline screamed at him in frustration. Her bellow echoed over the gunshots. 

“You’re pregnant?” Arthur paused, lowering his gun as she shouted at him. It was like he stopped functioning for a moment, stopped reacting to anything. Adeline grabbed him by the neckerchief and dragged him behind cover before a bullet blasted it’s way through the brain he clearly wasn’t using. Splinters of wood flew in the air as a shot found its mark where Arthur had been standing. He leaned heavy against the stone she had pulled him behind. 

“Arthur!” Adeline shook him to try and get him to react but he was staring blankly ahead, his gun held loosely in his hands. Groaning in frustration with him, Adeline threw a hard slap into his jaw then ducked out to pop off a few shots, catching a man in the chest.

“Now is not the time to lose it!” She snarled through gritted teeth at him. If they couldn’t get these men to leave, her and Arhur were done for and she wasn’t ready to call it quits just yet.

“Arthur Morgan, if you don’t snap out of it right the fuck now we are going to DIE!” She shouted into his ear. Her fingers dug into his sleeve and jerked him onto his feet. He stood up straight, shaking his head and pulling his repeater off his shoulder. Stepping out from behind the rock, he leveled the long arm at the men and began firing. His brow low as he scowled at them, he hit three men before the others started retreating. 

The sound of the attackers faded away, leaving the silence of the trees around them. Adeline huffed, her heart still in her throat as she checked the graze on her leg. It had bled a bit but wasn’t more than a scratch. She finally dared to look over at Arthur as he towered over her. He was staring holes through her when she found his gaze.

“You’re pregnant?” He muttered again. Adeline scowled at him.

“Yes, we’ve established that.” Pushing off against the rock, she stood up.

“HEY!” Arthur shouted at her as she walked off towards their horses. She cringed at the raw fury in his voice. “You felt the right time to tell me this was in the middle of a damn GUNFIGHT!” Her shoulders set themselves as she turned away and walked further away. Arthur was left to follow after her or be left behind Anger seethed inside him as he started marching after her, his feet crunching against the debris of the forest.

“I didn’t want to die and not tell you.” Adeline tossed the words out as his hand closed around her arm, regretting them the moment they were out. Arthur’s footsteps stopped behind her. Guilt at saying that to him forced her to look up at him. In the dark of the forest, it was hard to see his face, but she could feel his hurt without even seeing him. Tears brimmed in her eyes. God she was a stubborn fool. 

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was tiny, but still bigger than she felt. When he wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to his chest, she looked up at him in surprise.

“You wanted to tell both of us at the same time, didn’t you?” The anger was slipping out of him. She nodded and his hand moved to rub at her back. “Well, you could have handled that better.” He said, tone much softer. 

“I know. I just,” Her hands clenched as she stopped herself from getting angry over nothing again. “I’m sorry.” When did she lose control over herself so badly? She used to be carefully in control of her emotions and these days it seemed like she wasn’t at all. 

“Hey!” John’s voice carried through the trees, interrupting them. They both turned to see him sitting on Old Boy at the road. A lantern was hooked to his saddle, giving him light in the darkness. “You two okay? Heard the gunshots, Addy did you get shot?”

“I’m okay!” She called back. Arthur let go of her and she took off running, weaving through the trees to throw her arms around him. Laughing in surprise, John caught her tight. 

“Hey woman, what happened?” He looked a little concerned, mostly laughing at her as he raised his eyes to look at Arthur. The older wolf was walking to them, the horses trailing slowly behind them. 

“Lamb picked a fight.” Arthur grumbled. He was still mad at her about that but his anger had abated. 

“What?” John laughed again, not really believing that, looking back to her in confusion. “_You_ picked a fight? You?” Adeline sighed, pushing back from him a bit. Arthur stepped up behind her, nudging her with his elbow. 

“John, I have something to tell you.” Suddenly it was hard to talk. John’s head snapped between her and Arthur, concern on his face now. A thousand different ways to phrase it ran through her head and she couldn’t get a single one hold still in her head. “You’re going to be a daddy?” She cringed at the words. It took a moment for John to understand what she meant, a long minute that left her standing there terrified he’d suddenly take off running. 

“Oh,” A curt sound, Adeline wasn’t sure he actually understood what she meant. He ran through several emotions until understanding bloomed onto his face. “Oh.” It came out a low sound, drawn out. His eyes glazed over a minute and he turned away from them, going green around the edges. 

“John?” Arthur stepped past Adeline as John leaned heavy on his knees, taking deep breaths. He placed a hand on the shoulder of his mate, half laughing. 

“See, that’s the same reaction I had.” Adeline said to Arthur, pointing at John. Arthur glanced up at her, still laughing a little. John looked up at her, the barest smile on his face. 

“You’re sure?” He asked, still sounding like he didn’t quite believe her. 

“No, I just thought I’d make you almost throw up as a joke.” She scowled. Why had she mated idiots? John laughed but didn’t deny he was about to throw up. Arthur pulled him upright but the shoulder. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Does explain why you been falling asleep in the middle of the day.” He admitted, looking back at the road. “Shit,” The curse hung in the air for a long moment. “Shit, Addy.” 

“I know.” She agreed. “You regret it now?” Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she watched the two men. Arthur looked insulted by the suggestion and John shook his head. 

“No, no of course not.” He reached out and pulled her against him. Arthur was beside them, reaching around and squeezing both of them tighter than was comfortable. 

“No more picking fights.” Arthur said into the top of her head. 

“I promise nothing.” Adeline responded quickly. John laughed hard at both of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur had insisted on helping Adeline up onto Ace. She grumbled but let him, feeling like she owed him at least a little for getting him stuck in the middle of a firefight. John led the way back to the cabin he'd found and there had been very little talking between them as they rode single file. The cabin sat on an outcropping, probably would have had a beautiful view if it was pitch black. John had rushed over to help her down and Adeline rolled her eyes, already annoyed with the two. 

"Okay, you both _have_ to stop it. I'm not glass." She said, trying her best not to snap at them. John fumbled for a response, hanging his head sheepishly. Arthur scoffed, pulling the lantern from Old Boy. He headed inside ahead of them. Adeline sighed, grabbing John's hand and pulling him after her. Inside, Arthur had already started lighting the fireplace. He had set the lantern aside and Adeline used a long piece of kindling to light the other lamps in the cabin. John shuffled a bit, worrying his hat between his hands before setting it on the table.

"So, can you feel them kicking yet?" He asked. Adeline had to pause a second to understand what the hell he meant. When she realized he was talking about the babies it took every ounce of strength to not burst out laughing at him. Arthur shot her daggers, warning her not to. 

"No John, I don't think that happens for a while yet." She said slowly. "I don't feel much of anything right now, except tired all the time. And occasionally I vomit." So much for the glow of motherhood. Her mother had never really seemed to glow as far as she could remember, but she had seemed tired a lot. 

"Speaking of that, you want to lay down? The bed seems clean enough." Arthur motioned towards the bed in one corner. She had to admit, it was incredibly tempting. With a weary sigh, she flopped onto the bed.

"Should you be laying on your stomach?" John asked. Adeline growled into the pillow, trying to bite back a scream. 

"John, if you keep this up the entire time I'm pregnant, I'm going to smother you in your sleep." She threatened over her shoulder. How could she love a man so much and also want to throttle him so much? 

"Oh, cut him some slack Lamb. Just knock him out, don't kill him." Arthur leaned over her, having finished with the fire, and kissed his way up the back of her neck. She sighed as his warm hands rubbed the tired muscles of her back. He laid down beside her and she curled back into him as he pulled the pins from her hair and carded his fingers through it, unbraiding it. 

"When do you want to tell the pack?" He asked, pulling her hair out of her face. John sat on the edge of the bed, sullenly pulling his boots off. 

"Sadie and Miss Grimshaw already know." She said, taking a moment to enjoy his closeness before opening her eyes to watch John. He hadn't laid down yet, stubbornly staring at the fireplace with his back to them. "Don't see much point in keeping it a secret for long." John's shoulders just continued to hunch as she spoke until he was holding himself up on his knees. She didn't have to scent him to know he was worried, fearful. Pulling free of Arthur, she slipped her arms around John's waist. He wouldn't let her pull him back into the bed so she wrapped herself around him, resting her head on his shoulder. 

"Hey." She spoke soft into his ear. 

"Addy," His voice shook. "Maybe you shouldn't tell anyone, at first." He covered her hands with his own. She wanted to dig, to complain, to call him out but he felt like he was about to break apart in her arms. After a moment she spoke.

"Alright, John. Come lay down with us?" She kept her head on his shoulder, trying to watch his face but too close to see it clearly. Arthur's arms snaked around the both of them and pulled them back onto the bed. Adeline made a small squeak at the movement, surprised. John twisted around, hiding his face against her chest and wrapping his arms around her waist. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was about to cry. For a moment she could only stare at him in confusion before just giving him the physical contact he needed without asking why. She let her fingers drift through his hair, smoothing out tangles. 

Sometime in the night, after they had all fallen asleep entwined with each other, Adeline woke to find herself alone in the bed. She'd been bundled well and was warm but missed the bodies beside her. A quiet whispering just barely audible over the crackle of the fire. Opening one eye, just a sliver, she saw Arthur and John sitting beside each other in front of the fire. Their heads were so close they might as well be touching. Arthur had his arm across John's back, protective. 

"You gotta back off a little." Arthur's voice was raspy in a whisper, but trying to be soft. 

"I know, I just. A lot can go wrong, you know?" John sat up a bit straighter and Arthur moved his hand to the back of his neck, holding him close. "When I was a kid, I saw a whore bleed out in minutes. She and the baby died. Arthur, I'm scared for her. Scared for the pups." With soft shushes, Arthur pulled John against his shoulder. 

"It'll be okay. Lamb's strong. Any pups of hers are going to come out howling. But if you keep fussing over her she's liable to snap your neck and be done with you. We'll take care of her, same as we always have, and she'll take care of us." John sighed into his shoulder, relaxing under his touch. Arthur pressed his lips against the side of John's head and they stayed like that for a while, John's breath evening out as it lost the ragged edge of worry. Adeline closed her eye and tried to keep her breathing even. It felt like they needed the privacy. Sometime later, John slipped in beside her and she curled into him, wanting to comfort him. He scented her, his face pressed to her neck just below her jaw, and fell asleep like that, clinging tightly. 

The next morning, Adeline had to shuffle quickly outside still in her chemise to heave into the scrub nearby. Her stomach was already mostly empty so it was a short affair. Arthur was standing in the doorway when she turned around. He held out a canteen to her as she walked inside. 

"Come on, we'll eat something and head back to camp." He patted her shoulder. John was snoring on the bed, one leg hanging off the edge. Adeline took a gulp of water, wiping at her mouth before setting the canteen down. Climbing up on the bed, she laid on top of John. He twitched a bit as she kissed his cheek.

"Wake up, you lazy idiot." She said softly. John mumbled, his arms tightening around her as he rolled over, pulling her with him. Adeline squeaked in surprise, shoving at his shoulders to try and get free.

"Who's the idiot now?" He mumbled, still half asleep but smirking. 

"Still you, you oaf." She squirmed out of his gasp, slapping him gently on the face as Arthur laughed at the two of them. Finally free of John, she began dressing herself as Arthur warmed food over the fireplace and made her a plate. When he shoved it into her hand, she wanted to argue but the second she opened his mouth his eyes flared gold and his brow dropped. 

"I can **make** you eat." He reminded her, his voice a low gravelly growl. That certainly a fight she wanted to start at the moment. "You can't be throwing up _and_ not eating. It's not just about your appetite." Grumbling but eating anyways, loath to admit he had a point. John found his feet and stretched himself out before dressing groggily. The ride back went better far smoother. Adeline kept her mouth shut when she ought to, and John kept his annoying questions to himself, at least for now. 

"I'm just saying, John" Adeline was trying to convince him that keeping the pregnancy a secret for too much longer was a lost call. "If Sadie knows, which she does, Abigail will know soon enough. And then Karen will know and then everyone will know. We've got a week, tops, if everyone doesn't know already." His lip snarled in a scowl as he listened. He knew she was right he just didn't like it. John didn't respond, sighing angrily to himself. She tilted her head to the side, thinking. 

"I want them to know why we're happy." That seemed to pull him out of scowling at least. Adeline swallowed and finished her thought. "And, _if_" She tried to stress that word. "we were sad," Arthur was listening now too, she caught him turning in his saddle in front of them. "I'd want them to know why too." The horses all stopped and she wasn't sure who, exactly, had stopped first. John twisted back in his saddle to look at her. He clearly hadn't considered that. Not exactly agreeing, he did manage to stop scowling and they continued on with their ride. 

Judging by the fact that she wasn't mobbed by all the girls in camp, Adeline was fairly sure Sadie hadn't said anything to anyone yet. The Omega did give her a bit of a sidelong glance as she past by her. It was late, most people were eating dinner and Uncle was telling some unreasonably embellished story by the campfire while Javier strummed quietly on his guitar. The way Arthur set his shoulders and started off towards the fire, she knew he was bursting at the seams to tell everyone. She grabbed his arm tight, not letting him go. When he turned to look at her, confused she shook her head.

"Just wait a minute, alright." She whispered, staring at the fire and the group gathered around it. "Everything will be different after you tell them, just wait. Just a minute." She asked. Sean had Karen on his knee. When would those two mate already, she wondered. Kieran was sitting on the ground beside Mary-Beth. Her knee was touching his shoulder in the most casual way. She took in the scene for a long moment before releasing Arthur's arm. He gave her a warm smile before striding up to the campfire. A cheer of welcome went up from the crowd. Adeline bit her lip as Arthur raised his hands. John stepped beside Adeline, watching with her, downing a bottle of whiskey. 

"You smell nervous." He commented. "Nobody is going to be anything but happy for us. For you." 

"Still allowed to be nervous, John." She said. His hand snaked into hers, giving it a squeeze. 

"We got a big announcement!" Arthur was shouting, "We're expecting pups!" A loud cheer went up from the group and Adeline laughed a bit as Karen neatly sprang out of Sean's lap, rushing over to her. Sean was thrown back off his crate to the ground as Karen shoved away from him. The rush was a bit overwhelming, suddenly four women were crowding her gushing about how excited they were. 

"Okay, okay! Give her some space, you're going to smother her!" Miss Grimshaw shoved Karen back and gave a threatening glare to Tilly. There was immediately room to breathe and Adeline thought, very briefly, telling her thank you. 

"I'm," She shrank a bit under the sudden onslaught of attention. "I'm tired after the ride back," It wasn't a lie, at least. "I think I'm going to turn in early." Adeline explained, feeling like she was disappointing her friends even though they were all happily understanding. 

It was three weeks before she picked another fight. Bill asked her why she wasn't helping out more around camp, while she was carrying two buckets of water across camp. John and Arthur were out hunting or else they wouldn't have let her do it. She wasn't even showing yet and they still couldn't keep from acting like she could keel over any second. 

"Good to see you actually working!" Bill had laughed like he thought he was hilarious. Adeline froze, her knuckles going white around the handles as she tried not to get mad. A split second was all she had in her before she hurled one of the buckets at his head. Bill ducked, crying out before Adeline caught him up by the front of his shirt and flung him to the ground. 

"Why don't you do some damn work instead of harassing me?" She shouted in his face before picking up the remaining bucket and stomping off. Bill was flat on his back, staring up at her with wide, startled eyes. That man was a simpleton and she was certain she'd kill him before she had her pups. At the chuckwagon, she muttered curses under her breath as she emptied the bucket into the wash tub. 

"You know," Hosea spoke up, catching her by surprise. She hadn't even realized he'd been there before. He raised his hands in surrender when she about jumped out of her skin. "if you ever need to get out of camp for some breathing room I'd be happy to ride with you." 

"Am I not allowed to leave camp alone now?" The bucket dropped with a clatter to the ground beside the chuckwagon and Adeline grabbed an apple off the table. Pearson's stew still managed to make her stomach turn but she was making an effort to eat other things. Arthur had promised to bring her back a fat duck and roast it for her. Taking a deep breath she let her shoulders sag, that was too sharp a tone for Hosea. "Sorry, Bill just got to me." 

"I saw." He smiled, pleased. 

"Everyone saw." Abigail interjected, taking a taste of the stew and sighing. "But Bill had it coming." She smirked, looking over at Adeline. "You threw him hard enough he went horizontal before he hit the ground. We _all_ enjoyed seeing that." The Beta laughed but Adeline's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. 

"You haven't left camp in three weeks." Hosea continued talking. He was right, not since they'd told the pack. Not since she'd told John. It was clear he was only worried, but she'd had to growl at him several times to make him back off. In fact, she was certain Arthur had dragged him out hunting to give her some space. She was thankful for it but in his absence it was too easy to turn her ire on someone else. Bill was just an easy target that was asking for it. 

"John'll be worried if I'm not here when Arthur and him get back from hunting." It didn't hurt that Arthur had promised her a duck. She actually felt hungry at the thought of it. Hosea nodded in understanding. 

"I was just suggesting. Know the option is there, my dear. A wolf needs to run." He finished what he had to say, giving her a pat on the shoulder before walking off. Adeline leaned back against the chuckwagon and took a bite out of the apple. The sweetness on her tongue was pleasant but the grainy texture was annoying. The thought stuck in her throat along with the bite of apple. Hosea was right, she hadn't even shifted since she'd realized she was pregnant. The full moon would be in a couple days and it was already in her blood, pulling at her. She needed to run, without someone watching her like she was glass. Adeline was wolf before the apple she'd been holding hit the ground. 

Just a short run, she told herself. To the river and back, wet her paws and she'd be back in camp before John and Arthur returned. It was freeing, running through the tall grass and feeling absolutely wild. At the edge of the river, dirt shifted under her claws and she skidded down the steep slope to splash in the water. Scents on the breeze were inviting. A herd of deer had been by recently, she could track them if she cared to but the splash of a fish in the water caught her attention better. Wading out slowly into the rushing water, until it was up to her chest, she snapped at the silvery fish just below the surface. Ducking her head into the water, her teeth sank into the slippery flesh and she pulled it out, triumphant. 

"Hey dog!" A man was standing at the edge of the water across the river, another man behind him leading a pack mule full of prospecting equipment. The man was crouched down, trying to call her. Adeline eyed them, trotting to the opposite bank to enjoy her catch. At least as a wolf her stomach didn't revolt nearly as much. The man continued to whistle at her as if she would suddenly decide to trot right over. 

"You moron, that's a wolf." The other man smacked the first man in the back of the head. She kept her eyes trained on them as she tore open the fish and snapped down bits of meat. 

"If it were a wolf it would have run off already." The first man argued. "We could use a good dog." Their horse protested when they tried to walk closer. It was smarter than they were. "Here boy!" He snapped his fingers and whistled at her again. She raised her head a bit to growl a warning at him, her lip curling up over her teeth. 

"No, that's definitely a wolf." The second man said, tugging at his friend's sleeve. "A female." Her fish was only half eaten and she didn't want to give it up because of the two biggest idiots she'd ever seen gawking at her. The man's eyes shifted behind her. "And that's the biggest fucking wolf I've ever seen, Jesus Christ!" He was afraid now. Adeline glanced over her shoulder to see Charles at the top of the steep bank. So apparently she wasn't actually allowed to leave camp without an escort. She turned her snarl at him, the larger wolf shifting away from her anger. The two men were scrambling back the way they came as Charles skidded down the side of the bank. Adeline picked up her fish and carried it away from him before starting in on it again. 

_Leave me the hell alone_ She snapped at him. Charles paced outside of her reach a moment before sitting down and just watching her. The steep banks of the river made her ability to slink past him minimal. With a huff, she gulped down the last of the fish and paced in frustration. _I can handle myself_ It growled in her chest. For a moment she considered actually fighting him. As if he was reading her thoughts, Charles laid down. If he hadn't been an Alpha he probably would have bared his stomach to her. 

_I don't want to fight_ He was trying to be as non threatening as possible. Adeline grumbled and looked out over the river. Shaking her shoulders, she walked past him, snapping at him when he raised his head to watch her. Arthur probably asked him to keep an eye on her. Charles would listen to Arthur. And he wouldn't listen to her. That was clear when he slunk after her as she scrambled back up the steep bank side. 

A howl carried through the air and Adeline groaned. That was John, calling her. Charles watched her for a long moment. Huffing, she tossed her head and howled back, Charles joining in. She could feel John's relief without seeking it out, the feel of him pushing against the edges of her. It was like a raw nerve laid out in front of her. Someone else's raw nerve she was having to carefully step over constantly. Growling at no one in particular, she started trotting back to camp. Charles keeping his distance as he followed behind. 

Camp was closer than she'd like. It was barely enough to really stretch her legs. At camp, John was walking up to her like he was angry. Like he had a right to be angry. Her hackles were up as he marched towards her, a growl settled in her throat like it would never leave. She slipped to human because she wanted to yell. 

"Where'd you go?" John asked, more accusing than questioning. Arthur was trying to walk over as quickly as possible.

"For a run, what does it matter?" Maybe her voice was a little too loud. People were looking now. 

"I didn't know where you were, what if you'd gotten hurt?" He matched her intensity. 

"I was under the impression I wasn't a prisoner. You suddenly turned jailer? If so, you're kinda a shit one." The words snapped and John visibly stumbled back a bit. "You already got Charles trailing after me like a damn nanny." Her arm swung wild and Arthur reached them then, stepping between them before they actually went after each other. 

"Lamb, _I_ asked Charles to keep an eye on you is all. Of course you can leave camp, no one's saying that." He cut his eyes to John as a warning. 

"Sure sounds like it." Adeline said. "Am I supposed to leave an itinerary for you, John? A notice of my future plans?" 

"You weren't here when we got back!" John shouted around Arthur, the larger man's hand planted firmly on his chest. 

"So why's the first thing you think is that I'm hurt?" For a long, tense moment, she watched his face, hoping for some kind of answer. All John could do was stare at her, open mouthed, without a sound. Shaking her head, Adeline turned and stormed off. Maybe he didn't have an answer to her question. Probably.

She sat down with a huff beside the mending pile. If she could distract her hands with mending at least she wouldn't be strangling John. The first piece she pulled was a red shirt with thin black stripes down it. It made her pause, the fabric soft between her fingers. Memories flooded back at her first meeting with John. The stitches she'd used to take it in were still holding strong, she'd done a good job. A hole was worn into the elbow, John was hard on his clothes. Her mind wandered back to her old shop, her old home. Her mother would have loved to hear she was pregnant. She found herself wiping at her eyes and sniffing. What would her mother say about how she was living now?

She'd always been a practical person, understanding at least. A good, sensible, practical person would be a blessing right now. Adeline held her head in her hands, she felt like she had lost what good sense she had spent her life cultivating. John didn't mean anything with all his fretting, he was just worried. She knew that and still couldn't stop herself from snapping at him. Footsteps approached and Adeline was quick to stifle herself, keeping her eyes on the shirt and trying to patch up the elbow neatly. 

"Addy," John coughed awkwardly, maybe he felt a little bad about starting a fight with her. "I-" he paused, watching her for a moment. "Are you crying?" Any pretense of anger he felt slipped away as he crouched beside her. 

"I miss my mother." Adeline admitted, for the first time. Even to herself. A heavy sigh left her shoulders before she hid her face in the shirt. It smelled like John, familiar and welcome even if they were fighting. 

"We're idiots, aren't we?" John asked after a long moment. He'd sat next to her with a groan, resting his arms over his knees.

"Made for each other." Adeline sniffed again, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. They were silent, next to each other, for a long while. It felt nice. 

"I threw a bucket at Bill's head today." She broke the silence. John gave a surprised bark of a laugh, wheezing a bit as he shook his head.

"I'm sure he deserved it." His arm slipped across her back and Adeline slid close enough to him to lean her head against his shoulder. 

"I'm sorry." John said it first but Adeline chased his words with her own and they were talking over each other for a second. Both knew they'd fight again, probably over the same thing, even. But right then, it felt nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in the annoying spot where I really want to read a specific story, but I'm going to have to write it first.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back from vacation! Rejoice

It was a harsh winter, starting early and driving animals into their holes sooner than usual. The pack did well to provide for themselves even if they did have to resort to a little swindling to cover any gaps. Adeline was trudging through the snow, trying her hardest to do chores even though her hips ached in a sadly familiar way. The snow was lingering, a rough winter made all the more harsh by staying long after it wasn't wanted. She was carrying a hay bale, balanced on top of her growing stomach, to the horses. Ace was already calling out for her in excitement. 

"Adeline, girl!" Dutch poked his head out of his tent as she passed by. "Let me do that for you!" He awkwardly walked through the snow to take the bale from her. Adeline scowled a bit but let him lift the load out of her arms.

"I can do my chores, Dutch." Pulling her heavy winter coat with the thick fur ruff tighter around her body, she followed after him. 

"Allow me the privilege of feeling like a gentleman." He smirked at her. Ace was already ripping bites off the bale before Dutch set it down. "How far along are you now?" He asked, leaning back against a tree. 

"Nine months now," She looked down at her stomach, her coat couldn't even close around it now. It was so heavy, making her back sway when she walked in a rather undignified waddle. Sometimes she’d lean in heavy on Arthur and he’d hold her belly up for a minute while laughing. He didn’t realize how much of a relief it actually was.

"About time then," He seemed excited. Everyone seemed excited. 

"Still another month, Dutch. Hopefully it warms up a bit before then. Snow's no kind of weather for newborns." She rubbed her hands together, blowing hot air into her palms to keep her fingers from going stiff. Dutch watched her a moment, reaching an arm across her shoulder as he began walking back towards his tent. 

"About that, Adeline, dear. I was wondering how up to traveling you felt? Me and Hosea were discussing moving the pack back out to New Austin. Close to Bessie." Adeline's feet froze in the spot on Dutch's words. He stopped walking, watching her face. 

"Move the whole pack back to New Austin just because of me?" That felt a bit much to her. Dutch smiled and began pulling her into his tent, out of the cold. She eased herself down onto his cot, taking weight off her sore feet. 

"My dear, you're not the only one who's sick of the cold. We thought this cold snap would end sooner. And pups are important to a pack!" He was gesturing as he spoke, seemingly ready to go off on some speech. She stopped listening, looking out over the camp. Bessie's den sounded like heaven right now. Her hand scratched absentmindedly at her stomach, itchy now in the dry winter air. 

"Alright, Dutch. The sooner we leave, the better I guess." He seemed to have finished expounding. When she went to stand up, Dutch slipped a hand behind her back to help. She didn't want help, loath to admit it was starting to get difficult to stand up on her own, but smiled all the same as she walked off from his tent. Behind her she could hear his voice ringing out across camp as he ramped up another speech for everybody. 

John was watching Dutch from their tent, listening with growing concern on his face as Adeline walked up. This was going to cause an argument, she already knew. Without saying a word to him, she stepped inside their tent and began to pack things up.

"Addy, what is Dutch going on about?" He asked as if he didn't know. 

"We're heading out to New Austin." She responded without looking up. "Close to Bessie's." Sucking in a breath, she held it as she waited for John to lose it. The closer she got to actually giving birth, the worse they were fighting, it seemed. It was even harder to control her emotions now that she was so uncomfortable. 

"Good." John said, a sharp indignant tone in his voice. Adeline paused and looked over her shoulder to him, startled. "You shouldn't be having pups here in the damn snow. Ground's too frozen for me to make you a proper den, too." He turned to look at her, shuffling his feet a bit. "You going to be okay riding?" 

"If I start aching I'll ride in a wagon." It was a little surprising for him to act reasonable. "Help me pack up?" John took a second to snuff out the cigarette he'd been smoking before moving to help.

The whole pack was bundled up and on the road before lunch. Abigail helped her up on Ace before climbing into the back of the wagon. She laughed at herself for a good minute. The new girth of her stomach was making even the simplest of tasks difficult. Arthur had tied her boots for her that morning, ribbing her the entire time until she had stolen his hat and threatened to throw it in the icy river nearby. He was smirking at her now as she settled into the saddle. Part of her had a mind to snap at him, but the promise of warm weather and a familiar, safe den had her bubbling with excitement on the inside. 

“Think you might have to just stay in the saddle the whole way there,” Arthur joked as they started riding out. “Don’t know if we’ll be able to get you back into the saddle if you get out again.”

“Arthur Morgan, I have personally witnessed you heft a full grown bear over your head. I might be large but I’m decently sure I’m not that large yet.” She eyed him as he held back the biting remark. “If you can’t lift me up into the saddle you must be getting slipping.” Arthur smirked, still trying not to bait her into a fight. She appreciated the effort. 

In four days time the large pack had managed to find itself at the base of a mountain, out of the snow and another day’s ride to the desert. So close she could already smell Bessie’s fresh bread cooking. Pulling Ace up, she scented the air, a scent on the breeze catching her attention. It was faint, she couldn’t quite place it. Her sense of smell had become much stronger once she was pregnant, made tracking game all that much easier. Now, something faint was making her hackles raise but it was too faint to place.Turning her horse around, Adeline walked through the caravan of horses and wagons to find Dutch at the lead wagon.

“Adeline!” He was always happy to see her these days. As he pulled the horses up to stop the wagon, Dutch jumped down to help her from her horse. “I’m thinking we should set up camp a little early today, maybe check out that town for supplies.” His gaze shifted to a small, squat town not too far off. It was pushed closer to the base of the mountain. Her hackles still up, she glared at the small town.

“I don’t want to go into the town, Dutch.” Adeline argued with him. Dutch growled under his breath, scowling as he looked away from her. He was trying hard to control his temper, angry at her for disagreeing with him. Something just wasn’t right on the wind, making her nervous. She shifted from foot to foot, watching him swallow back harsh words. 

“Adeline,” His brown eyes shifted from her to the town in the distance. “We’ve been riding hard, people need a rest. _You_ need a rest.” She gritted her teeth, it was her turn to swallow angry words. He was right, but damn him, it wasn’t fair to use her condition to win a fight. 

In the distance, mountains loomed over the town. Long shadows were cast along the ground even though it was midday. If she’d had the mind to, Adeline would have called it foreboding. She just couldn’t place it. Without the words, she had no hope of convincing Dutch. A heavy huff left her in frustration before she walked off. Maybe Hosea would listen. Arthur and John had ridden ahead to scope out the town, leaving her alone to argue with Dutch.

Hosea was sitting under a tree, reading. The pack had stopped early for the day. Not that she was complaining about stopping. Not entirely, at least. These days there was just no getting comfortable. The ride out West was proving harder than she expected. With a heavy groan, she eased herself down to sit beside the old man. He reached out to help her.

“Hosea, can you talk some sense into Dutch?” There was a small amount of relief to sitting down, even if she knew standing up would be a trial. 

“What sense would that be, my dear?” He was smirking at her. She was surround by traitors.

“I got a bad feeling about this town.” That was the best way she could put it. Hosea nodded in understanding. Setting his book aside, he turned his eyes out over the land behind them. 

“You’ve been jumpier since you got pregnant.” His words were careful.

“I know.” She grumbled. It was hard not to think of when she’d almost stabbed Arthur in the neck. He’d walked up behind her and she hadn’t noticed until he’d wrapped his arms around her waist. They’d worn matching looks of surprise when she’d whirled around and held her knife to his throat. 

“Not that that’s a bad thing.” Hosea quickly added. “You have to be on your toes, especially now. But,” His eyes shifted over to her. “Are you cautious about this town because of something tangible?” She had to think about it for a moment and Hosea waited. 

“It smells off.” It wasn’t much more than a grunt.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” She lied. 

“You haven’t been sleeping much.” It was an even statement, no emotion behind it. Adeline rolled her neck, aggravated. Why did he have to be so damn observant?

“Yeah, well you try sleeping when someone’s kicking your bladder.” It came out a growl as one of her pups demonstrated her complaint. She wished at least one of her mates had stayed back. Sometimes the only thing that stopped her pups from kicking was one of their warm hands laid over her stomach. Hosea looked to the broad swell of her middle.

“Kicking strong?” There was pride in his voice that made her smile.

“Like they’re going to kick their way out. Here,” She pulled his hand against one side of her stomach, just under her ribs. “This one keeps getting their feet stuck under my ribs.” As if to prove her point, a sharp kick pushed against their hands. Moving his hand, she pressed it to the other side. “And this one is the one who keeps me up at night. That’s the trouble maker.” The troublemaker stretched, rolling under their hands. Adeline watched as Hosea gave a happy sigh.

“Please talk to Dutch.” She asked again.

“Alright, if you’ll try to sleep.” He stood up. Adeline decided to stay where she was a while longer, if only to avoid the floundering getting up would require. In the late afternoon sun, a cool breeze blowing past her, it was easy to slip into a light sleep underneath the tree. 

“Hey,” Sometime later, the sky already darkening and the moon starting to rise, Javier nudged her boot to wake her. “You going to wake up for dinner?” He was smiling at her, laughing almost. 

“Hadn’t considered it.” She held out her hand. “You woke me up, you gotta help me up.” Javier did laugh this time, grabbing tight to her wrist and hoisting her up on her feet.

“Anytime, _amiga_” With a heavy clap to her shoulder, he stepped back. “John and Arthur are still in the town, maybe you should go scrounge up some dinner for yourself there?” She rolled her shoulders, stiff from sleeping against a tree trunk and growled low. Seemed Hosea hadn’t talked any sense into Dutch at all. Javier took another step back from her as she growled and she tried to shake off the anger in her gut. 

“Yeah, I guess I might as well.” She turned to face the small town, scenting the breeze again but still the scent was too faint to really place. For a moment she considered mounting up on Ace to ride the short distance but decided the trouble of getting up in the saddle wasn’t worth it. Adjusting her hat low on her head, she gave a small wave to Javier and set off towards the town.

It was easy to follow their scents, trailing through the town from the livery, to the general store, to the gun store and finally to the saloon. It was a small, squat building, matching the town perfectly. Inside it was dark and smelled bad, overloading her sensitive nose almost immediately. Arthur waved her over as she stepped into the dank room. 

“Dutch said you weren’t coming into town.” He said, pulling a chair out for her. John nudged her as she eased down into the creaky seat.

“Couldn’t keep away, huh?” They were in a great mood apparently, and she wanted to share it. At least inside the saloon full of unwashed men she couldn’t smell the scent that was setting her teeth on edge. 

“Javier suggested food.” She grumbled good naturedly. Arthur gave a nod of understanding. 

“Ah, there it is. She doesn’t care about us, but she’ll come running at the promise of a meal.” He teased her. 

“I’d sell you for a slice of stale bread.” Adeline teased back before looking over her shoulder to the bar. A sign behind the bar promised food of some kind for fifty cents. At the moment she didn’t really care too much exactly what kind of food but she could hope it involved some source of meat. Not waiting for her mates to offer to get it, she heaved herself out of the chair and took the few steps to the bar to order. A large man, leaning heavy on the small bartop grumbled as she elbowed him out of the way.

"Jesus, you're the size of a buffalo!" The other patron gaped at her as she leaned in on the bar. "You giving birth to a pair of horses?" He clearly thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever said. The man at the bar laughed, his breath rank with liquor and unwashed teeth. Adeline wanted to puke but instead her hand shot out to grab him by the throat. With one arm, she shoved him back several paces until he slammed into the bar wall. A picture hanging beside him rattled before falling to the ground with a crash. Chairs squeaked as they skidded across the floor, several of the people in the bar suddenly paying close attention. With a heft of her shoulder, she pushed the asshole up the wall so his toes just barely scraped the floor. In truth it was as far as her arm reached. She'd have his legs swinging if she were taller. 

"You make it a habit to taunt people you don't know, you're going to wind up regretting it eventually Mister." She hissed out through clenched fangs. The man's eyes went wide and his pupils narrowed in fear. 

"Lamb, let him down." Arthur's tone was soft but loud enough to fill the small bar. She thought about it for a minute but decided it wasn't worth arguing with Arthur over it. Her hand loosened and the man fell to the ground, hitting his ass hard with a grunt of pain. Giving it a second thought, she grabbed her skirts up a bit with one hand and sent a foot into his gut before walking away. Silence lay over the bar like a wet blanket, eyes on her back as she flopped down in a chair beside John. She adjusted the heavy coat around herself, tight across her stomach. 

"Hungry, Addy?" What kind of stupid question was that? She huffed a bit before nodding to John. If she wasn't polite she'd have to get up herself and get food.

"Yeah, I could eat." She shrugged, trying to play off the gnaw of hunger inside her. John patted her shoulder before getting up to speak with the man behind the bar. Arthur was watching her from across the table, clearly not impressed with her.

"Do I need to explain to you what 'laying low' means?" He said, low and calm like he got when he was really mad with her. Adeline looked away, feeling a bit of heat on her cheeks knowing she might have overreacted. Just a bit.

“He was being an ass and I’m hungry.” She tried to defend herself weakly. John returned then, setting a bowl of oatmeal down in front of her. She eyed him in question and he only shrugged before sitting down. It was better than nothing, and she could see a bit of butter melting into it so that was some small consolation. Her stomach gnawed at her again and she dug into the bowl, devouring it in minutes. 

"Hungrier than I thought." Arthur eyed the bowl as she scraped the last bit out into her mouth. Adeline glared at him.

"Well, maybe if we’d stopped for lunch and you’d let me catch a rabbit or a turkey or something we could have had a decent meal in the last few days." She started, having to take a breath and stop herself from picking a fight. It was hard to tell if the anger was because she was hungry all the time now, or if it was because she was easier to upset. Didn’t really matter, she supposed, ended in fights anyways. 

Dutch sat down at the table, laughing a bit as he slid three glasses of whiskey across the stained wood. He’d been silent as she’d accosted the drunk, probably smoothing things over with bartender with the aid of a few bills palmed discreetly over the bartop. 

"None for you, since you're expecting." He joked, sipping at his own drink. Adeline glared at him for a long hard second. 

"I will rip your throat out and roll in your blood." She threatened, annoyed. Dutch only laughed and raised his glass in a toast. 

"Here's to Missus Adeline, a better wolf than the rest of us." Arthur and John clinked their glasses against his and tossed the liquor back. Adeline grumbled, flushing a bit at his velvet praise and looking away. He didn't have to be so damn nice to her and make her feel bad about threatening him. Something tapped her hand as it lay on the table and she looked over to Dutch offering her a bar of chocolate. Her brows raised, hesitant to take the gift and he held it out to her. "Maybe this will smooth any raised hackles." He smirked. Smug bastard. She took the candy and unwrapped a corner. Chocolate was scarce, and expensive. Though he'd probably just stolen it. That didn't matter when she chipped off a piece and let it melt on her tongue. Almost too sweet, it certainly did the job of lightening her mood. 

“Dutch said you didn’t want to stop here?” Arthur asked. Adeline shifted her eyes between him and Dutch as she continued to slowly enjoy the candy bar. 

“She wouldn’t tell me why. Adeline, surely you understand why I can’t avoid entire towns simply because ‘something feels off’ to you?” Dutch spoke softly, trying to smooth over any hurt. Even at her most unreasonable she did understand his point. 

“Something on the wind, can’t place it.” She said around a mouthful of chocolate. 

“Well, when you can place it, let us know.” Arthur said. At least he believed her, Adeline got the feeling Dutch didn’t even believe her that far. It was too easy to chalk up her paranoia to the pregnancy. It was too easy to dismiss her concerns and she hated it. Dutch leaned back in his chair, enjoying the cigar he’d been holding in the corner of his mouth as he drank. 

“I’ve got some supplies waiting at the general store, I’d better go grab them before the close up for the night.” Arthur sighed, still eyeing Dutch and Adeline carefully. “You two play nice.” He cautioned before standing up. 

“I’ll come with you. You always get more than you can carry!” John said quickly, standing to follow him. Arthur seemed to be debating on whether to make him stay or not but eventually just shrugged and the two left. Dutch sat in silence, enjoying his drink and cigar while Adeline closed her eyes while eating the chocolate.

“That stranger keeps looking at you.” Dutch’s voice was low and dangerous, breaking the long silence. Her shoulders hunched, she tried to glance back subtly. Familiar brown eyes met hers. He’d filled out some since she’d seen him last, his face was harder. Sitting up straight, Adeline turned in her seat to look at him better. The fear she remembered was still creased into his face but he looked to be used to it now. Dutch gave a surprised squeak when she stood up to join him at his table.

“Luke.” He nodded as she said his name, knocking his drink back as she sat.

“You know, Ma’am. I never learned your name.” She waited a moment to see if he’d keep talking. “Seems a strange thing, you causing me so much trouble and I never even caught your name.”

“Still with the Pinkertons?” She asked cooly. Luke smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. 

“Naw,” he chewed at his bottom lip a moment. “Suppose they dislike me as much as you now.” Her eyes glanced over him as motioned to the bartender for another drink. A faded yellow bandana was wrapped around his throat, his shirt unbuttoned a bit. He was covering the brand she knew was there. 

“I’d like to say I’m sorry, but I’m not.” They fell silent as the bartender dropped off a bottle at the table.

“Don’t.” Luke warned as he pulled out the stopper from the bottle and filled his glass. Part of her felt she’d ruined this young man’s life. But he’d been a Pinkerton, so maybe it was worth ruining. 

“You’re looking particularly well fed.” He said after a long taste of his liquor. It didn’t escape her notice that he wouldn’t meet her eye.

“Yeah.”

“That one of your mates sitting over there glaring at me?” He took another slug of whiskey.

“Pack leader.” It was uncomfortable, but she felt like she owed him, at least a little. “My mates stepped out.”

“Last time we met, you said they’d kill me if they saw me again.” The memory of her words stung a little, he’d been so terrified then. He wasn’t terrified now, he was resigned. 

“I don’t think they would now.”

“Why not?” The table rattled as he set his glass down a little too hard. Their eyes finally met and Adeline regretted it. When she’d first met him, nearly two years ago she realized with a shock, his eyes had been so hopeful. Now they were just hollow. It’d been a hard two years for Luke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare yourself, after I finish this part I’m going to start working on my other fix, Lasso the Moon, again for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my eternal shame, I do not speak Spanish. Please forgive me if my translations leave something to be desired. I tried very hard.

When Dutch sat down at the table, Luke stiffened but didn’t look up from his drink. Adeline’s eyes darted between the two men. Dutch was silent, cigar sending a sweet smoke into the already smoky air of the bar. His dark eyes bore holes into the half grown boy.

“Who’s your friend?” Dutch growled, one hand resting on the table top and the other hidden beneath. She knew it was resting on his gun. 

“Luke. Met him a few times.” She low. It didn’t make the tension in Dutch’s shoulders relax but Luke seemed mostly unfazed. Almost too nonchalant, he slowly pulled a cigarette from his breast pocket and scratched a match into life across the heel of his boot. As he lit it and took a deep inhale, he shook the match out and finally met Dutch’s eyes.

“Never been this close to a pack leader before.” He was baiting Dutch. Maybe he wasn’t holding a gun to his own head, but Luke had a death wish. His eyes narrowed. “But you ain’t an Alpha.” He let the smoke out, tilting his head back a bit so the smoke didn’t blow in their faces. “Never heard of that before.” Dutch flinched, looking back at Adeline like she’d betrayed him.

“He’s a Pinkerton?” It was hushed, angry.

“Not anymore, no. When I chose not to kill her, the second time, they ran me out.” Without much movement, he pulled the yellow bandana down to show off the ‘c’ melted into the crook of his neck. “Kind of a shit Pinkerton if I’m not willing to kill wolves.” Leaning back in his chair, he took another long drag of his cigarette. Dutch seemed surprised. 

“Never knew a Hunter not to kill a wolf.” He relaxed a bit in his seat, putting his other hand on the table. 

“Yeah, well,” Luke blew out another lungful of smoke. “I’m kinda stupid.” The table went silent then, the three sitting in silence as smoke hung in the air above their heads. 

“They’re going to find you here.” Luke said after a long while. Adeline shifted in her seat. Her hips were starting to hurt but she didn’t want to leave just yet. Luke pulled his cigarette from his lips and flicked ash from the tip to the floor. “They’re already looking for me, and I can’t run as well as you.” His eyes were on Adeline as he spoke. 

“Thought you said they ran you off...” Dutch drew his gaze with his pointed question. Luke contemplated the half finished cigarette in his fingers. 

“Yeah, they wanted to off me and I ran.” A mirthless chuckle shook his shoulders for a moment before he replaced the cigarette on his lips. “You shouldn’t stay here much longer.”

“Why should we trust what you say?” Dutch growled, leaning in closer. Adeline reached out to rest a hand on his arm. 

“Dutch.” Her voice was steel, a warning. He drew back into his chair, watching her. “Come with us?” The words left her mouth before they had even formed in her mind. Dutch blanched and nearly swallowed his cigar. 

“No, what the hell are you thinking?” He snarled at her. Luke smirked.

“Don’t think your Daddy cares much for me.” He joked around Dutch’s shoulder. 

“You’re a god damned Hunter!” Dutch twisted in his chair to snarl at the boy. 

“Former Hunter.” Luke corrected him. 

“Luke.” Adeline begged with her eyes. He shook his head, smoking the cigarette down his fingers before dropping it to the floor and snuffing it under his boot. 

“I ain’t in the mood to be giving hand outs to wolf killers.” Dutch stood up, the chair sliding out from behind him with a squeak. “Adeline, I’m getting my horse. Don’t do anything stupid.” He stormed out while Luke’s eyes followed him.

“Adeline, huh?” Luke said before turning his head back to her. “You know, I’ve never actually killed a wolf. I technically wasn’t even a full Pinkerton yet.” There was as bit of melancholy in his words, not quite regret. She wasn’t sure. “Y’all are moving on?”

“Yeah, going to den up where it’s not so cold.” Her hand slipped to her stomach, resting against it without thinking. Luke’s eyes followed her hand. 

“I guess I should say congratulations.” He mumbled. She opened her mouth to say something only for a baying to catch her ear. Luke must have heard it too because his head snapped around to the window. A curse came out, under his breath and he stood up, his hand already at the gun on his hip. 

“They found me, us.” He turned a bit to look at her and the glass of the window of the bar shattered. Luke fell back with a grunt. On instinct, Adeline dropped the the ground. Knocking the table on it’s side, she sank her fingers into Luke’s shirt and dragged him behind the table with her. 

“Are you okay?” Adeline asked the boy as he grunted, climbing onto his feet. Bullets rained into the bar and patrons ran in a flurry. People were yelling and hollering. Luke only shrugged, stealing himself with more stoicism than she thought possible in someone with such a baby face. Taking a deep breath, he popped up from behind the table and fired with both his guns. Adeline used the time he was buying with bullets and scuttled awkwardly towards the back door, just past the bar behind them. Throwing her shoulder into it, it slammed open. The back of the building was blessedly clear. 

"Luke!" She hissed back at him. He didn't respond and she wasn't sure he'd heard her at all until he dropped behind the table and holstered his guns. Following after he, out the back door. They breathed heavy as she whistled. It took a precious minute but Ace came running out of the treeline. He was a damn loyal horse, running towards the gunshots at the sound of her whistle. She groaned at the idea of having to climb up now, but they either rode away or died so she stood up and hurried to her horse's side. 

A hand at her foot surprised her, and she looked to see Luke helping her up. With a grunt of effort, she seated herself and held an arm out to him. The boy was obviously surprised by the offer but time was limited and she couldn't wait for him to decide if he trusted her enough or not. She shook her arm at him, her eyes looking to the back of the bar. How long would it take for them to realize they'd slipped out. Not long, she'd wager. Luke finally accepted, grabbing her arm and climbing up behind her. Ace turned on a dime, making the boy grabbed hold of her tightly, and started racing through the trees. Straight up the mountain.

She knew she was pushing Ace to hard, but she was scared. The Pinkertons were between her and the pack. Arthur and John were livid, she could feel that without even trying. John was near panicked. All she could do was pray he didn’t do anything stupid before she could get back to them. 

“You got a plan?” Luke asked her, leaning against her back as the horse trekked up the rocky mountainside. He didn’t sound like he thought she did. How dare he be right. Her lip curled into a snarl and she didn’t answer, only nudging Ace onward. 

“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful or anything,” Luke hissed against her shoulder. “But I might be a bit worse off than I originally thought.” She tried to twist to see him but couldn’t fully with her stomach in the way. He held up a bloody hand to emphasize his point where she could see. “They winged me a bit.”

“How bad is it?” Adeline asked as Ace stumbled onto a trail and she followed it upwards, away from the town. 

“Not great.” His voice was tighter now. “But I ain’t dead yet.” The air whipped, cold and sharp, against the mountain and he shivered against her back. Adeline might have been wearing her nice, heavy coat but Luke had been in a thin cotton shirt.

“Thank you, for that back there.” She said after a moment. Luke’s head moved against her back in a nod.

“Don’t mention it.” He said quietly.

Ace was huffing, his breath coming out in little clouds by the time Adeline pulled him to a stop. Luke was leaning hard against her back, but he hadn’t passed out yet. Snow was piled up in great drifts, a light downy fall hiding their freshly made tracks. 

“Luke, still with me?” She tried to twist around to see him as best she could. He gave a grunt of encouragement, one hand on her hip to steady himself. A fear of being caught pushed her on, albeit at a slower pace for the horses sake.

"How old are you anyways?" She asked, eyeing him. It was an attempt to keep him awake and distract herself as Ace picked his way along the ridge of a mountain. Luke shifted his shoulders, hunching a bit at the question. Younger than she suspected, probably. 

"I'll be seventeen in a couple months." He finally said, muttering it. Adeline's brow shot nearly to her hairline. 

"You're sixteen? Shit." He looked older. Jesus the kid had been dealt a rough hand. Made her think of Arthur, of John. Both had been living rough since about that age, but they had a pack to help them. Luke was on his own, and already running from something. Already been shot.

“Don’t really matter.” He pushed himself to sit upright, leaning against herself as if trying to prove something. “We’d better find a place to hunker down, we got a friend following us.” This time she shifted her hips so she could look behind them fully and saw thick, heavy, dark clouds on the horizon. The wind was blowing towards them, ushering the storm closer and sure to break right on top of them. 

“At least the wind’s in our favor.” She said it a half whisper, “damn hounds won’t track us through _that_” 

“Great,” His voice was still tight. “They can find our corpses after we freeze to death.” There was no use thinking about that, she cursed to herself and kicked Ace on. Turning to face the craggy rocks in front of them, she was startled to see several riders in the distance, waiting. They were spread out, if she had to hazard a guess she’d say they had her surrounded. With the wind whipping past her she couldn’t catch their scents. 

“Rock and a hard place.” Luke said in her ear as he followed her gaze. A horse was walking up to them, picking it’s knees up through the heavy snow drifts that were gathered. The man riding the scrawny nag worse a thick, heavy fur coat and a wide brimmed hat. As he got closer, a smile spread across his face. A flash of gold made Adeline tighten her hand on the reins. 

“_¡Hola!_ You two look like you could use some help!” He laughed easily, a slight accent. Her hackles were up in an instant but she didn’t have much choice so she swallowed down any harsh words and raised a hand in hello. Two more wolves rode up behind him, flanking the Alpha. “I’m Flaco, you in need of some shelter?”

“We would appreciate the help, at least until the storm passes.” She waved behind her to indicate the looming clouds. Flaco’s grinned broadened and he turned to one of the men behind him. 

_"Ve a preparar mi cabaña para nuestra compañía. Toma todas las armas."_ The other man reacted quickly, turning his horse. _"Los cuchillos también."_Flaco shouted as he walked away, the man waving his hand dismissively. 

“Why would he need to remove all the guns and knives from where we’re staying?” Luke whispered in her ear. 

“You speak Spanish?” She asked over her shoulder. 

“My mother was Mexican. My first language was Spanish.” He whispered proudly. With a nod of her head, she turned her attention back to the Alpha in front of her. 

“Flaco, we thank you! I’m Adeline, this is my packmate Luke.” She felt Luke’s hand tighten on her hip but he didn’t say anything. Flaco scented the air and smirked. 

“A human packmate?” He scoffed. 

“I was human when I joined the pack.” Adeline said, a half snarl in defense.

“And look at you now.” Flaco’s eyes rolled over her in a way that wasn’t entirely comfortable. 

“He’s been shot. Could you spare some medical supplies?” 

“Ah, humans are so fragile. Come on _princesa_, we’ll get you two out of the cold.” Still smirking, he waved her on and turned his horse. Adeline nudged Ace onward, following Flaco as his horse picked its way through the snow. 

“How’d you two end up here? You got the smell of the desert on you.” Flaco asked, the smirk fading to something a little less uncomfortable as he talked. 

“Moving to a nice den, got caught by Hunters and had to make a run for it. Got separated from our pack.” God, Luke had better keep his mouth shut. Now was not the time for the boy to suddenly become mouthy. 

“Unlucky for you.” Flaco didn’t sound like he believed her, not entirely. He kept eyeing Luke who was either fading fast or at least faking it. The boy was collapsing against her back, breathing heavier. She really hoped he was faking it. “We’ll get you patched up, huh, _gordito._” He said with a laugh, nudging Luke in the shoulder. 

_"Eres gordito."_ Luke mumbled, a weak attempt at a retort. Flaco laughed, shaking his head. Around the curve of the mountain, a grouping of shacks appeared. A crowd of men were gathered around a large fire in the middle of it all, a few standing guard along ridges. With a nervous glance around, Adeline realized she didn’t see a single female in the group. 

“The one there,” Flaco pointed to a slightly less dilapidated shack to the left, beside a run in that was being used as a stable. “You can stay in mine, you’ll be most comfortable. I’m sure your pack will be coming for you.” His eyes dropped down to her stomach and Adeline covered it with her hand. She wish she hadn’t, it only made him smirk. “Don’t worry, _Mamá_. We’ll keep you safe.” Somehow, she didn’t believe him.

Some man she didn’t know took Ace’s reins and led him to the run in while Flaco lead her and Luke into the shack. Luke had nearly fallen into her arms and his weight was heavy across her shoulders. At least he was faking like he could walk, that was something. Inside, she had helped him to sit on the cot by the potbelly stove while Flaco moved a few things around. He set out a canteen of water and a box of medical supplies on the table. 

“I’m sure you’re both hungry. I’ll bring you some food. Let me know if you need something else for your packmate.” He smiled at her, towering over her as he motioned towards the box on the table. 

“Thank you so much for helping us, I’m sure my pack will be happy to pay you once we meet up with them again.” 

“Of course, it’s not every day I get the chance to help a pregnant Omega.” His hand strayed to a strand of hair that had come loose from her braid. Tucking it back behind her ear, he looked her over almost fondly. Without another word, he turned, casting a half look over at Luke as he left the shack. Luke watched him go, clutching his side. 

_"No dejes que se vayan."_ Flaco snapped at a guard as the door banged closed. Luke’s eyes narrowed. 

“We’re in trouble.” He hissed. Adeline looked at the supplies she had before looking over her shoulder to Luke. 

“Don’t I know it.” She said, mostly to herself. With a sigh she pulled out iodine and gauze. “Better hope that’s not something that needs stitches.” It was more a prayer than anything else. Luke hissed as she moved his hand away from his side. Taking as much care as she could, she gingerly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it away from his side. It stuck against his skin with dried blood. 

“Well, it’s not a gut shot.” She sighed heavy in relief. The bullet had ripped through his side, a graze but deep enough it probably did need stitches. There wasn’t any thread or needles, there wouldn’t be any stitches. Her best attempt was to clean it out as best she could and pack it with gauze to stop the bleeding. “You probably won’t die.” It was hopeful but Luke snorted. Her mouth drew tight in displeasure as she wrapped his middle to hold the gauze in. “If we change the gauze out often enough it might not get infected.” She sighed again. There wasn’t enough clean gauze to do that, she didn’t think.

“Why are you helping me?” Luke asked. He was sweaty and flushed from the pain of her cleaning the wound. “Taking care of me,” With a fugitive glance around, his voice lowered. “Lying for me.” It was an almost angry hiss. Adeline sat back on her heels, ready to argue with him when the sound of talking caught her ear. Beside the cabin, just under the overhang of the small stable, two men were talking. Sliding across the floor, she pressed an eye to the crack in the wall. Two men stood under the eves of the run in, trying to avoid the heavy snow.

_¿Por qué Flaco está ayudando a esos pendejos?_ The taller man asked, blowing into his hands. 

_“Quiere a la Omega.”_ The shorter one said quickly, annoyed. 

_“Pues, yo también, pero está apareada.”_ The taller man grunted after he spoke. Adeline perked up at the mention of Omega. She strained to listen, wishing she could understand Spanish. When she got back to her pack she’d have to pester Javier into teaching her. 

_“Si mata a los cachorros cuando nazcan, ella volverá a entrar en celo y podría aparearse con ella.”_ As the shorter man carried on, Luke gave a sharp intake and jerked like he’d been slapped. Adeline looked back at him in confusion. 

“What?” She mouthed. He only shook his head. The taller man hissed at the other’s words. 

_“Me parece un poco peligroso con una Omega.”_ The short man nodded, then shrugged in response. 

_“Eh, Flaco puede chingarla. Yo no lo haría, pero entiendo por qué querría hacerlo.”_ He sounded sure of himself. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

_“¡Ay, cabrón! ¡Ándale!”_ The taller man yelled around the stable. A third man walked into sight, adjusting the fly of his jeans. The three walked off and Adeline rocked back on her heels, looking over her shoulder. 

“When are you due?” Luke asked, afraid. She scuttled back to him, buttoning his shirt back around him. Even with the warmth of the nearby stove he was starting to shiver. Hefting herself up to her feet, she dug through a chest and found a worn, but heavy, coat and threw it at him.

“Another couple of weeks, I’d imagine.” It was hard to keep the worry out of her eyes. She knew they were talking about her and Luke’s reaction told her it wasn’t good. “Luke.” She begged as she helped him slide his arm on his injured side through the sleeve. 

“Flaco’s going to kill them,” His hand reached up to press against her stomach. Adeline sucked in air, feeling like there suddenly wasn’t enough in the small cabin to keep her conscious.


	5. Chapter 5

It took a minute for Adeline to regain her senses. Luke’s hand was on her wrist, shaking her arm to pull her back to reality. When her eyes finally focused on him again, she moved to quickly rip her bandana from her neck and began rubbing it over his face and neck. Luke cringed away from the attention, trying to pull the dirty cloth out of her hands. He finally did manage to jerk if from her grasp only for Adeline to start rubbing the inside of her wrists against his neck. When he protested that she moved to rubbing her face in his curly brown hair. 

“Stop, what are you doing?” He sounded thoroughly confused. 

“Your scent. If he scents you, he’ll know you’re not my packmate. If he’s willing to kill my pups then there ain’t nothing saving you.” She was worried. It was fighting for control and she worked to swallow it down, breathing heavy. “At least if you're pack that’s better than nothing.” Luke took a deep breath and nodded. 

“Alright, alright.” Looking at the bandana in his hands he proceeded to rub it across his face as vigorously as she had been. “Never imagined I’d end up like this.” He admitted with a half laugh. A twinge of a cramp settled low in Adeline’s hips and she had to sit for a moment. “They said...” He took a minute to parse the sentence out in English. “If he kills your pups you’ll go into heat again and he can mate you.” That thought quickly chased the fear out with anger. 

“That rotten bastard.” She snarled, standing up and looking through the cabin for any kind of weapon. Her knife was on her thigh and Luke had a pistol on his belt but that was it. Against an entire pack. 

“Odds aren’t good.” Luke huffed. Adeline rolled her shoulders, preparing herself for a fight. Stilling herself for a moment, she closed her eyes and felt for the edges of herself. Felt for where she blended softly into Arthur and John. Anger, frustration, worry. The storm was between them. It could be days before they could get to her or, more likely, they’d run through the storm and end up lost or dead instead of riding in to help her. 

The door of the shack swung open and Flaco walked in carrying two plates of hot food. Impressive considering the snowfall starting up outside. It was only going to get colder. He set the plates down on the rickety table beside Adeline and smiled at the two. 

“Here, I’m sure you’ll feel better after you eat.” She eyed the plates suspiciously, her stomach rumbling for the meat and canned vegetables.

"Hey, _corazón_. We're all wolves here," His eyes flitted to Luke for a moment. "mostly. You're safe here."

"From what I hear, not so damn safe." She met his gaze as his eyes flashed gold and went hard. 

"What lies have you been hearing?" Flaco immediately turned his head to bare his fangs at Luke. 

"Don't sound like lies to me." She argued. Luke's hand rested on his gun but Adeline shook her head when he looked to her. Unless he got a lucky shot in, that would only end in Flaco ripping the poor boy apart.

“You’d believe this _mestizo_ over me?” Flaco laughed. 

“In a heartbeat.” Adeline moved herself between Luke and the Alpha. Maybe she could take him on, but probably not him _and_ his gang. The door to the cabin was open, letting cold air slice through the small shack. Outside the door, gang members hung close with their weapons drawn. Her eyes darted to the open door then back to Flaco, her lip raising in a snarl as she realized he was prepared for a fight. Better prepared than her. 

“Smarter than you look, then. Alright, _querida_, you can willingly mate me and I’ll let your pups live.” He seemed to feel it was a fair offer. But Adeline felt like retching at the idea. Holding it together, she looked away from him.

“Will you let me have them, first?” Beneath her, Luke made a strangled sound of protest. Flaco slid a hand along her jaw, holding her chin for a moment as he looked into her eyes. 

“Of course, _corazón_, but not too long after. There is a limit to my patience.” He tapped her nose before laughing hard and leaving the cabin, slamming the door shut behind him. Luke and Adeline were left shivering as the small stove struggled to warm up the cabin once again. 

The Omega was left to snarl to herself, mind racing as she struggled to think through a plan. It felt like it would be a race against time to draw everything out as long as she could. Arthur and John were slowly forcing their way through the storm, common sense be damned. She hoped they made it. A cramp settled hard in her, dragging her worry inward for a moment. Sitting down hard beside Luke, Adeline held her head in her hands. 

"We have to run." She said through her fingers. "We have to flee once I have the babies."

"Ma'am, I don't think that's-" Luke spoke hesitantly.

"I'm not mating him. He's going to kill my babies." The words shook in her throat.

"You said you weren't due for another few weeks. If we can just hold out until the storm clears, your pack could-."

"I'm already in labor." The words fell hard to the ground and the cabin went silent. Pushing hard against Luke's shoulder, Adeline began slowly pacing the cabin. 

“Shit.” Luke went pale, his breath stalling in his lungs. “Shit."

“All we got is surprise. If I can have them before morning, slip out before he comes in to check on us. They'll be gone before he even knows they were born." 

“You don’t really think you’re going to sneak out of here in the middle of a snowstorm with two infants and you still bleeding from the birth.” Luke stood up, face pulling as he ignored the pain in his side. 

“Of course I’m not.” She scoffed at him. “_You’re_ going to take the pups and run. I’ll stay behind and kill Flaco.” Luke balked, panic creeping into his eyes. “He wants me? He can have me.” Adeline snarled.

“H-h-h-how am I going to sneak two babies out? How am I supposed to get through a snowstorm?” Luke scrambled to figure out her plan. Adeline shook her head. 

“If you stay here, you and the pups are dead.”

“If I go out there, we’ll be dead!” He kept his voice low, hissing in anger. 

“But there’s a chance you won’t. My mates are close, moving slow but not far.”

“So we wait for them!” He stood up again, obviously regretting it but Adeline was glaring him back down. “If they’re coming then we wait!”

“If we wait, Flaco will kill them.” Maybe it wasn’t the best idea, maybe she was sending them out to die in the cold. But it felt like anywhere else was better than here, waiting until morning when Flaco would come in. “He comes in here, and sees pups, and I don’t immediately agree to mate him he’s going to kill them.” A cramp tightened in her middle and she had to take a deep breath before continuing on her rant but Luke interrupted her. 

“So you fight him! You’re going to fight him anyways. I’ll keep them safe, you fight him. But if you send us out into that storm we _will_ die and it’ll be a hell of a lot slower than what Flaco would do.” Luke watched as she cringed inward at the pain in her guts. He reached out to steady her. 

“I can’t let him kill them.” The words were soft, fearful. Luke sighed, nodding. “Fine, you keep them safe. Hide them if you have to.” He nodded, relaxing his shoulders as she accepted his plan. “Luke,”

“I’ll keep them safe, Adeline. I promise.” She believed him. 

"With your life." The words were forced out through clenched teeth. 

"With my life." It seemed absurd to her, trusting him. Hours ago she wouldn't have believed it, but she had no other choice. Luke nodded.

"With my life." The pain of the camp ebbed out and Adeline sighed heavy. "How long will this take?" Luke asked. She could only shrug. 

"Well, Abigail has seen a few births and she said sometimes it's real quick and sometimes it takes a while. They come when they come, I guess." She looked down at her stomach, rubbing a hand against it. 

"Well, which is better?" Luke asked. 

"Apparently both are awful." Adeline bit her lip, trying to remember what all Abigail had told her. "We need, clean water so set a pot to boil, will you?" As she pointed to the stove another cramp tightened in her again, stronger this time. Luke was up on his feet, moving faster than he probably should have. 

"Alright, what else?" He said as he set an old, bang up pot on the stove. The eagerness in his voice made Adeline smile to herself. The cramp ebbed away and she took a few deep breaths to think. 

"Blankets, something clean and warm to wrap them in." Pushing herself to stand, Adeline took the brief respite to try and help Luke. There wasn't much in the small cabin. Two beds on either side of the stove, a table and a cupboard. The cupboard looked to have been smashed sometime ago, broken bits of shelves littering the floor around it. Luke ripped the blankets off the bed he hadn't been sitting on and held them up. 

"Not the cleanest thing in the world." He sighed. Adeline thought for a moment then began undoing her skirts, stepping out of them and separating a few of the petticoats. 

"Spread the blankets on the ground. We'll use the petticoats to wrap them up." The words went tense and died on her lips as another cramp tightened painfully. Water trickled down the inside of her thighs, warm against her skin. A small puddle formed under her feet. Her drawers were soaked through. With a groan, she peeled them off her legs. Luke blushed bright red and turned to face the other way. Adeline leaned heavy onto the back of a nearby chair. 

"I'm sorry, Ma'am." He stumbled over the words. 

"Me too, Luke." Taking deep breaths, she reached down to pick up the innermost petticoat and wrapped it around her waist. "There, as good as it's going to get. Don't think I have it in me to offer you any more consideration." 

"Sorry, how can I help?" Swallowing hard, Luke turned to look at her. Her body went rigid as another cramped ripped through her. It was stronger by a mile. The chair she’d leaned on splintered and threatened to collapse under her. Luke’s hands were on her, trying to help but unsure what to do. She swallowed back the cry she wanted to make, a low pained grunt the only sound she made. Even now she had to keep her wits about her. After a long moment the pain drained out of her and she could breathe again. Luke watched her in worry. Prying her hand off the crushed chair slat, Adleine took deep gulps of air while she could. Her legs shook, forcing her to sink down to sit on her heels. The bedframe gave her some support. 

The pressure built inside her hips, threatening to rip her apart. She felt as if she were feverish and desperately unbuttoned her blouse, stripping down to her chemise. Luke gave a strangled grunt and Adeline looked down to see why. Thick blood coated her thighs and pooled beneath her, she hadn’t even realized. Reached down between her legs, her fingers felt the hardness of a head just inside her. It didn’t seem like it could fit. A fear gripped her, she and the babies would die here and she wouldn’t even get the chance to fight. 

Fuck. That.

With a heavy groan as the next cramp washed over her, she bore down with all her might. White hot pain tore into her as the small head slipped out of her. A few gasps to steal herself and she bore down once again. The infant slipped free, purple and slimey in her hands. She scrambled to hold the floppy thing and pulled it up to her shoulder. It gave a warbled cry of discomfort as Adeline cooed to it. 

“Oh, little thing.” It quieted against her shoulder. "Luke, a string." She reached to the knife on her thigh, pulling it out. With a little tender maneuvering, she held the infant on its back. Luke held out piece of shoelace. "Tie off the cord." Using the tip of her knife, she showed him where. Once he finished, she had to saw through the cord still connecting her to her newborn. 

Another pain clenched down, reminding her of the second baby still in her. “Luke, you gotta take them.” She said through clenched teeth. He rushed with a skirt to wrap around the still wet newborn. The tiny infant flailed, unhappy in his awkward arms. There was no time to worry about how he held her child, another cramp was ripping in her. Slipping her hand underneath her again, she tried to feel for the next head. Small toes brushed her fingers and a deep inhale came from Adeline.

"Shit." Too tired already, she sank from her heels to her knees and breathed. Luke held the infant against his chest, eyes pinched in worry. 

"What?" He asked.

"It's coming out wrong. Abigail said they're supposed to come out head first, not feet first." Her breath stalled as another cramp tightened down. The tiny feet and now legs, slid further out of her. "Give me," Swallowing hard, her mind panicked. Abigail had said what the midwife had done when the baby came feet first, but she also said the baby died. The thought made it harder to breathe than the cramps. "no, _you_ take the skirt. You have to wrap it around the baby as it comes out." Luke blanched, eyes searching around for a safe place to rest the infant in his arms. Finally deciding on the blanket by the stove was as good a place as any, he rushed behind Adeline. 

"I apologize if I do anything-"

"Luke! Just do what I say and shut up!" The end of her words was lost in a cry as another cramp bore down. He actually listened to her, she could feel him wrap the petticoat around the infant as it slowly slid out of her. 

"It's almost out now, just the head." Luke encouraged her. With a last push, the baby slipped out of her and suddenly everything felt better. Adeline kept herself up on her hands and knees just barely, breathing in relief. 

"Is it alive?" She asked through gasps. Behind her, Luke was silent. Her heart seized up and she twisted to look over her shoulder at him. "Luke!" It was a snarl and made him jump. 

"It's a little boy." He was looking breathless down at the infant. "His eyes are so dark." Adeline almost laugh, reaching out for the baby. As Luke handed the baby over, she gingerly sat down and leaned back against the side of the bed. He was a little smaller than his sibling, he kicked and flailed as she held him close. Wispy black hair was plastered in wet curls against his head.

“You’re the troublemaker, aren’t you?” She laughed softly as relief flooded her. Using one arm to hold the now quiet infant, she tugged at her chemise, pulling it off to expose her breasts. With a monumentous effort from her and Luke, she hauled herself up onto the bed and laid back. Luke laid the first baby on her chest.

“It’s a boy too.” He said softly. Relief at having the babies was shadowing her other fears and just for a moment she let herself enjoy the feeling of them on her chest. The larger one was already squirming onto a nipple. The smaller one was staring up at her with dark blue eyes. 

“Little boys, huh?” She whispered down to them. “Nothing but trouble, I can already tell.” 

“Got it,” Luke said as he tied off the cord of the smaller infant. Picking her knife up from where she'd dropped it, he sawed through the cord. 

"You've got to hide them." Adeline was exhausted, it felt as if she'd been running for a day straight. The entirety of her nether regions ached like she'd been run over by a wagon. 

“Can you even walk?”

“Don’t have a choice, Luke.” She said, weary. “Just keep them safe, please.” Shaking his head, he took the first one. Forcing herself to sit up, she kissed the forehead of the smaller one and laid him on the bed. "Flaco had to have heard that." Her hand roughly jerked her blouse back on, tired fingers fumbling with the buttons. Another cramp rippled through her. Reaching between her legs again, she felt the placenta slip out of her. It was almost unnoticeable compared to the infants. It felt like things were finally done. Luke looked at the offal staining her skirt in abject horror.

"Is that supposed to happen?" He asked, out of breath with worry. 

"Yes. Abigail said they bury it, so maybe I should wrap it up?" She wasn't quite sure what to do but she was sure she was feeling better already. Luke watched, eyes still wide, as Adeline pushed herself up onto her feet and took a minute to steady herself. It felt as if all her organs were going to fall out from between her legs any second, but everything held. She could smell Flaco nearby. Stumbling to the door, she glanced over her shoulder at Luke. He was standing with the two infants, scared into silence as she slipped out the door.

Ice cold wind bit through the thin layers she had on. Her bare feet crunched in old snow as she stepped down the steps of the shack. Flaco was standing in front of her, eyes gold and locked onto her. Anger pushed back anything else she was thinking. This Alpha thought he could just kill her pups? Her fists balled tight, claws digging into her palms.

“I could just shoot you.” Flaco threatened. Adeline shook her head, crouching still.

“Wouldn’t kill me.” She argued. They both knew she was right. “And if you don’t put me down with the first hit, this isn’t going to end well for you.” Her eyes met Flaco’s and the two growled. Without waiting for a signal, Adeline slipped to wolf, throwing herself at the Alpha. He had size, but she was faster. Her teeth sank into his shoulder as she scrambled around his bulk. Everything ached but she had to ignore that right now. Forcing her body to do what she wanted, she scrambled to find purchase with her hands. 

Claws sank into her arm, ripping her off Flaco’s back and hurling her to the ground. She landed hard, fighting to get a lungful of air in. He was on top of her, trying to snap into her neck but she twisted out of reach, her fangs dragging across his muzzle. The coppery taste of blood was in her mouth, driving her on, pulling her further away from control of herself. Her claws scrambled for anything, one hand finding hold on his ear and ripping down as hard as she could. Flaco reared back in pain as she felt part of his ear come off in her hand. 

Claws raked across her stomach as he swiped at her with his massive claws. Adeline retreated back, out of his reach only for Flaco to tackle her to dirt. He knew if she got out from underneath him she’d rip him apart. 

A blond blur tackled Flaco to the ground, rolling away from her. Strong arms slipped under her shoulders, pulling her away from the fighting. She started to struggle until the reassuring scent of John enveloped her. Relaxing into his hold, he pulled her close to his chest. His scent was strong and she pushed her face into his neck, needing the comfort. Someone wrapped a blanket around her as John pulled her to her feet. 

"Is she alright?" Dutch's voice called out. Adeline tore her face away from John's neck to look around. Arthur had Flaco by the neck. He'd shifted back to human and held the other Alpha's throat in one hand, his sawed off pressed against Flaco's temple. 

"I'm alive." Adeline responded. Exhaustion hit her hard and she sagged against John. 

"You're not pregnant, and you're bleeding, Addy. You're not _fine_." John snarled in her ear. His arms held her up, wrapped around her protectively. The rest of the pack had their guns leveled at Flaco's men. Arthur looked up from Flaco to meet Adeline's eyes. His normally blue eyes were solid gold. The gun went off with a loud boom that made her flinch and as if that was the que, the rest of the pack fired off their guns. Flaco's men dropped and the smell of blood laced through the air. Arthur was standing over her in an instant. 

"Lamb, what happened?" He snarled, grabbing her arm. She had to scent him to realize he was scared. 

"The pups came early. Flaco was going to kill them." The words were hard to say, coming out in gasps. "They're safe." Her eyes shifted back to the shack and Arthur was stomping off without another word. Adeline limped after him, her ability to ignore the pain running through her body quickly draining with her energy. John held her arm over his shoulder, helping her walk. 

“God Addy, you gotta stop scaring us like this.” He joked. She wanted to punch him but just didn’t have the energy left. Arthur went to open the shack door only to find it locked, or blocked. Shouldering it hard, a clatter fell away and he stepped into the shack. 

Luke, holding his side but keeping his gun level, had his pistol aimed at Arthur’s chest. The Alpha’s eyes flashed gold and he growled low. 

“Where are my children?” Arthur snarled, hunched and seconds away from slipping to wolf.

“Where’s Adeline?” To his credit, Luke’s voice didn’t shake. The returned question was enough to make Arthur pause, confused and step aside so Adeline could limp inside with John. The boy visibly relaxed when he saw her, lowering his gun and breathing a heavy sigh of relief before holstering it. “Christ, Adeline. It sounded like death out there.” 

“That’s cause it was, boy.” Arthur snarled, renewed annoyance, and grabbed Luke up by his shirt collar. “Where are my children?” He growled again inches from Luke’s face. 

“Arthur, he was protecting them" Adeline scolded him. John helped her sit down, Adeline hissing as her tender bits touched the bed. Arthur’s eyes darted to the side to look at her but he didn’t lower the boy yet. 

“They’re boys.” Luke whispered to Arthur. Arthur jerked his head back like Luke had slapped him. The Alpha lowered him down, untangling his hands from the wrinkled collar. Freed, Luke stepped back from Arthur. Turning, he pulled a crate out from under the other bed. Arthur shoved him away roughly. John left Adeline’s side to look in the crate. They each picked up one infant. The babies were still swaddled in Adeline’s torn skirts and sleeping soundly, unaware of the frantic mess around them. John held his out a bit, looking the newborn over with uncertainty while Arthur had clutched his newborn to his chest, inhaling the scent off the infant's head.

“He looks like me,” John smirked, giving a half laugh. Arthur held the newborn in his arms up and examined his face. 

"Shit, they do." A laugh rumbled in his chest. "How the hell did you manage that?"

"Maybe you're just too old." John suggested, pulling the infant against his chest. Adeline watched the men meet their sons and it made her chest swell with happiness. Luke sat down beside her and she leaned against him, exhausted. Arthur glanced over, the muscles in his arms tensing as he watched Adeline touch Luke. The lines on his forehead deepened as he looked down at her bloodstained skirt. 

“You need to let Miss Grimshaw look at you.” He said, swaying on his legs as he held the infant. The old Omega must have been listening outside the shack because the door bust open and she stormed in. 

“Damn right I do! What the hell were you thinking?” Adeline shrank back as the silver eyes of Miss Grimshaw settled on her. “Giving birth out here? Fighting an Alpha before you’ve even stopped bleeding? Did you even deliver the placenta first?” Luke jumped to his feet, hand still covering his side.

“She did!” He tried to defend Adeline. Miss Grimshaw cut her eyes at Luke and the boy seemed to shrink underneath her. He pointed to a messy pile of bloody rags on the floor. “She said to save it.” How he was able to still speak while being glared down was unknown to Adeline. 

“And who the hell are you?” Miss Grimshaw sniffed dismissively as she toed at the bundle of cloth. 

“He helped me. I wouldn’t have known what Flaco was going to do without him. He protected the babies.” Adeline forced herself to stand up even though she really didn’t want to. Miss Grimshaw snapped her head around to look at her. 

“You sit down.” She was able to shove Adeline back onto the bed with minimal force before turning to look at Luke again. “Well, if you’re so keen to help, you make sure she doesn’t stand up again.” Luke nodded, moving to stand closer to Adeline. Miss Grimshaw turned to yell at Arthur and John but her face softened a bit as the sight of the infants. 

“We’ll get a wagon ready to hold them.” She said, stepping closer to get a better look at the newest pack members. “If you can part with them long enough to get off the mountain.” With a sigh, she turned, snapping at Luke. “You come with me. Adeline stay off your feet for five minutes, can you?” Luke followed after her like a lost puppy as she walked out of the shack. Adeline collapsed back onto the bed, needing sleep but a wire of electricity running through her keeping her awake. 

“Addy, you going to be up to riding in a wagon?” John moved closer and she reached out to the infant. Reluctantly he handed her the baby and she cradled it against her shoulder. 

“Well, I know I’m not up to riding a horse right now.” She said. 

“Lamb.” Arthur said flatly. “If you need more time,”

“Arthur, if I stay here any longer than absolutely necessary, I’m going to break something. I want out of here.” Her eyes met the dark eyes of the newborn and she reflected on how remarkably similar he looked to John. There was no question of their genetic parentage. “I want to be safe in Bessie’s den.” It came out sounding more tired than she intended. John ran a hand through her hair and she turned her face towards the touch. He bent over and kissed the top of her head. 

“We’ll get you there, Addy. Not letting you, or them, out of my sight until we get to Bessie’s.” He said into her hair. She sighed, hands holding her infant to her chest. Frankly that sounded lovely. 

When Miss Grimshaw came back into the shack, Luke was still trailing behind her. Arthur had settled onto the other bed, holding both newborns against his broad chest while Adeline curled up against John and pretended like she was capable of sleeping right then. 

“Luke, you help Adeline to the wagon.” Her eyes scanned the room to land on Arthur. “And, if you wouldn’t mind,” She waved her arm towards the door and Arthur stood up. Luke took Adeline’s offered hand and pulled her to her feet. Her lower half still ached and she sagged as she stood up, grunting in effort. John was on his feet in a second, scooping her up without a word. She curled into him, relaxing a bit in his arms. 

Outside, it was painfully cold. Sharp wind bit through the threadbare single layer she was wearing. A wagon was pulled up right outside the shack and John moved quickly to settling Adeline inside it. Abigail and Tilly were sitting in the back of the wagon, the bottom of it covered in soft blankets. It was covered and the two women had a stack of blankets for Adeline, wrapping her up in it as she relaxed against the side of the wagon. Arthur handed her back the infants and leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek before whistling for his horse. Tilly and Abigail had plenty to say as the wagon pulled away. The infants fussing a bit at the cold but held close to her chest. She barely listened, leaning her head back against the wood as the wagon bumped onto a trail. 

As the wagon rattled along, swaying the newborns back to sleep while Adeline watched them, John climbed up into the back with her. His eyes were trained on the infants for a long moment before he kissed her cheek.

“What are we going to do with the Pinkerton?” He asked. Adeline looked up to meet his face before looking up at the drivers of the wagon. Dutch and Hosea were pointedly pretending not to listen.

“He saved their lives.” She said quietly, not ready to believe her babies had been so close to danger. “He saved mine. He’s not a Pinkerton anymore.” John shook his head, not really believing her. 

“It’s suspicious that they showed up right when you met him.” He argued. 

“John, they were after him. They want to kill him.” She kept her voice low, not sure where Luke had gotten too. Miss Grimshaw seemed to have gotten her clutches on him, she’d have him darning holes before too soon. “Besides, he’s only sixteen. We can’t just leave him behind.”

“What is he going to do? Join the pack?” He asked, louder than necessary. Tilly and Abigail were watching the two argue. Dutch had turned in his seat to look at them but Adeline was too tired to care. 

“He saved my life. He stared Arthur down to protect my children. _Your_ sons. He’s a child himself and he’s got Pinkertons after him, they already _branded_ him.” The words came out hissed and angry. John’s brows raised up at the heat behind them. “You really want to argue with me over this?” For a second her eyes darted to Dutch sitting above her. He quickly turned to look back at the road. John swallowed back whatever he’d been about to say and looked away, out the back of the wagon. 

“At the very least he could stay with the pack.” Hosea spoke up. Everyone turned to look at him. He gave a short glance over his shoulder before looking back to the road. “Wouldn’t hurt anything. Miss Grimshaw would probably skin us alive if we left him on his own anyways.”

“Wouldn’t do to have two angry Omegas.” Dutch said, as if his hands were tied. Adeline gave John a satisfied smile while he gave a small laugh. 

“Think we’d be the only pack with a former Hunter in it.” He huffed a bit, picking up the smaller of the infants to hold. 

The den under Bessie’s house was warm, familiar and safe. Adeline laid curled beside her twins, both asleep and swaddled tight. She felt like she could sleep forever if only she could stop her mind from racing. Footsteps on the stairs made her push herself up onto one elbow, on guard still. Arthur appeared, a plate of food in his hand. 

“I figured you could use some food.” He said, it was a peace offering for bothering her. Setting the plate down on the table by the stairs, Arthur crawled onto the furs beside her. The newborns slept between them. He gazed down at the two, hardly breathing. 

“You thought about names yet?” His voice was quiet, afraid of waking them. Adeline nodded, laying her head back to the soft furs. 

“I was thinking,” Her hand trailed along the larger of the two’s side, “Jesse, and,” she shifted her attention to the smaller one. “Isaac. He’s the real troublemaker.” A soft smile spread across her face. “Going to have to keep our eye on him.” She’d had the names picked out months ago but hadn’t told either John or Arthur. Isaac made a wiggling grunt as her hand brushed his cheek. Arthur made a small sound of approval before reaching out to run a hand through Adeline’s hair. 

“They sound fine, but you should be sleeping.” She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. Exhaustion was just out of reach, threatening to attack her at any moment. “I’ll lay here, keep an eye on them. John and Luke are upstairs with Bessie and Hosea. The rest of the pack isn’t far off. Try to sleep.” The rumble of his voice was enough to help soothe her nerves. “I’ll keep the boys entertained.” He said, low and soft. 

“Hey, my boys,” he said in a near whisper, still looking down at the sleeping newborns. “Let me tell you how I met your mama.” Adeline let out a small snicker. “You hush, get some sleep.” He chided her. “Me and your Daddy John were passing through this little town one day, and your Daddy John tore his shirt _again_” Jesse gave a snort in his sleep. “I _know_, fool couldn’t go a day without ruining his clothing. So he says, Arthur I gotta get a new shirt and just runs off. Now, I ain’t the most friendly on a good day and it wasn’t a good day for us so I didn’t go into town with him. But he comes running back telling me about this _beautiful_ woman at the shop. Said I had to go meet her. Said I would fall for her the second I saw her, and guess what?” He paused, waiting for a reaction. Adeline hadn’t heard this story from their point of view, she wanted to stay awake to hear it but was quickly losing her battle with sleep. Isaac wiggled, squeaking as he squirmed. “That’s right, Isaac! He was wrong, as he usually is. I didn’t have to see her. I knew I loved her the minute I smelled her.” She drifted off to the low rumble of Arthur’s voice as he continued on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright my lovelies, I’m going to be working on some other stories for a while so this is the end (for now). This has been absolutely fabulous writing for all of y’all and I don’t intended to stop. 
> 
> I made a twitter account for myself so if you want to follow it, I’ll post updates for my stories. @LamourScarlett 
> 
> If you want more of my writing, check out my other (entirely too long) story on AO3, Lasso the Moon. I’ll be updating it in a little while.


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